Naotora and her mother Yuchinni visits Ryotanji Temple where a girl who calls herself a daughter of Naochika stays. She who is called Takase tells them that she was born between Kamenojo (Naochika) from Ii-no-ya and Yuki, a local woman and her mother died. But nobody of the Iis knows that. Then she is about to leave but Naotora stops her to stay in her residence and decides to make an investigation of her.
Natsu (Sayaka Yamaguchi, left) tells Masatsugu (Issei Takahashi) about Takase.
It's hard to inquire into her origin and she doubts whether she is
really a daughter of Naochika or not. She asks Nankei to ask about it to
the Matsuokas, the family who sheltered Naochika when he stayed in
Shinano. Shino learns about her from Toramatsu who saw Takase at
Ryotanji and she meets Naotora. Shino says that she feels sorry for
Naotora because her former fiance had a child with another woman with a
suggestion of sarcasm. But Naotora ignores it.
Natsu tells her brother-in-law ONO Tajimanokami Masatsugu about it. After that He warns Naotora that Takase is possibly a spy from the Takedas. Meanwhile TOKUGAWA Ieyasu is proposed to reconcile with IMAGAWA Ujizane but his vassal ISHIKAWA Kazumasa says that it's difficult to do it. And another vassal SAKAI Tadatsugu insists that the Imagawas are nothing but the enemies of the Tokugawas. Then Ieyasu calls MATSUSHITA Jokei to get the situation of the Iios whose head was killed by Ujizane.
Naotora (Ko Shibasaki. right) accepts Takase (Hikaru Takahashi) as a member of the Iis.
Nankei receives a letter from the Matsuokas and Yuki, mother of Takase
really existed. Though he banters Naotora that it's only mother who
knows her child's real father, she is sure of that Takase is Naochika's
daughter. The reason why she thinks so is because that the melody of
the tune she hums and that of the flute performed by Naochika are
so alike. However she is not satisfied with the fact and goes to the well of Ryugu-kozo.
She sees Shino there and they lay bare their mind to the well. Though they accept that Naochika had a child woman with a "third woman", both of them have something against him and yell out their dissatisfaction towards him to bottom of the well (**). Then Takase becomes a daughter of the Iis and begins studying at Ryotanji with Toramatsu, Inosuke and NAKANO Naohisa. While studying, she notices Matsushita Jokei who visits Ryotanji and lookd away from him.
Takase (centre) becomes a daughter of the Iis.
Jokei informs that ODA Nobunaga acts in secret behind the Takedas who plan to invade into Suruga and TOKUGAWA Ieyasu has already allied with him. The New Year 1566 has come around and Masatsugu visits Sunpu to make New Year greetings. At that time Ujizane says that he will stop the Takedas in whatever way or manner. And SETO Hokyu who loses the chance of manufacturing matchlocks in Sunpu seeks a new field of activity and goes to Kiga, an autonomous city.
(*) "Dai san no onna" is a parody of "Dai san no otoko", "The Third Man" in Japanese.
(**) It was not uncommon that a samurai had a relationship with a woman who was neither his wife nor concubine at that time. So the description is unnatural a bit in some way.